Comments below...
From: <DocRickFry@aol.com>
> In a message dated 6/15/2002 7:26:48 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
>daveadler_emtp@msn.com writes:
>> << think I've been pretty clear on the reason for the different treatment
> of alcohol and illegal drugs. >>
> Yes you have--perfectly clear--you are so entrenched in your flawed
> reasoning you yourself cannot see how inconsistent and illogical your
> argument is!
> ERF
OK, someone please fill me in on where I lost track of this thread. Nobody
said that one addiction was any better than another. Rather, it was simply
pointed out that use of certain things is ILLEGAL (you can argue all you
like about the properness of the legality/illegality of this...) The fact
remains that the society has determined that use of certain items should be
a violation of the law. Others are not. If we, as medical practitioners of
all levels (MD, RN, EMTP, CNA, etc.) are expected to use GOOD JUDGMENT (one
of your pet peeves, Dr. Frykberg, if I recall,) then how can we expect our
patients to trust our judgment on injury/illness treatment when we haven't
the judgment to obey the law?
I don't see any inconsistency in this logic. If you do, please explain it
to me. Perhaps the rest of the list isn't interested, but I most certainly
am.
For Mr. Horan, who wrote: "I recognize that you do not see the obvious
inconsistency. Alcohol is the
greater social ill and greater danger on the job. why do you think it is
logical to treat abuse differently for one substance than the other?" I
offer that since alcohol is LEGAL, and Marijuana/cocaine/heroin/etc are not,
there are more people consuming alcohol than other substances. Therefore it
follows that there are more 'social ills' associated with alcohol. If you
need a discourse on the difference between association versus causation,
drop me a line. Remember the gun control debate? More people die from
motor vehicle accidents/collisions than guns, so therefore vehicles are more
deadly, and we should control them rather than guns. (It's been a long
night shift, so forgive me if I don't remember the details of that BS
argument.)
Judgment comes to the forefront again. I would trust the judgment of one
who obeyed the law of the land over one who did not. Call me naive,
Polly-anna, or foolish. I'd rather think it's simply logical. And yes, I
can tell the difference between an alcohol user and a drug user. I know
what to look for, cause I've been there.
Can we move on?
Best,
Jeff Brosius
Paramedic, etc.
Atlanta, GA
www.prehospital-perspective.com
medic245@mindspring.com
"The fate of the wounded rest
in the hands of the one that
applies the first dressing."
-- Nicholas Senn, 1896